hsjhoshi | Hey! Say! 7 - Seventeen January 2021 (English Translation)

Yamada: Do you remember the early days of ST's series?

Nakajima: I hadn't really worked in women's fashion magazines before, mainly in idol magazines. It was simply refreshing, and I was happy.

Chinen: During the shoot, the staff will say "cool" and "cute!" to you, right? Didn't you find it embarrassing at first? On the set of an idol magazine, you'd be surprised at how many old cameramen would just shoot in silence. I remember it was hard to get used to at first and I was so embarrassed! (Laughs)

Yamada: I know what you mean. Also, there was always a copy of the latest issue of ST on set, so at the time I'd look at it and point out which girl was the cutest and I'd point out which one was the best. Now that I'm an adult, I can't do that anymore because the age gap is so big, and it's too much (laughs).

Nakajima: (looking at the pages of the past series) This brings back memories. I still have memories of every single shoot.

Chinen: Look at this!! We're whispering sweet things in the Christmas project!

Nakajima: Yamada-san is saying, "Ring finger, let me promise you with this ring." (laughs).

Yamada: Uwa! (Embarrassed)

Chinen: (Looking at the second physical fitness project in the series) I remember this one! They made us do some serious work for it. Afterwards, Ryosuke and I were talking about how hard filming for ST is and left (laughs).

Nakajima: When we started the series, there were a few ideas that weren't good.

Yamada: Now Chinen-san won't do this kind of thing anymore~~

Chinen: I went through a period where I was like that, and now I'm enjoying it. ♪

Yamada: That's what happens after 10 years (laughs).

Chinen: When I first started [shooting for ST], I was in high school, so I would often go to shoots after school in my school uniform.

Nakajima: When school finished early, we would have fun to pass the time.

Chinen: We used to go to a cheap karaoke bar in Shinjuku! Whenever we had time, we'd play darts or head there, that was our usual pattern.

Yamada: We did! I miss that!

Chinen: It was cheap and had a student discount. Daiki and others used to go there too, and it was like a hangout for everyone.

Yamada: I have so many memories of that shop. It's a sacred place from my youth... It kind of brought back some memories for me.

Chinen: By the way, is there anything you both think has changed in the last 10 years?

Nakajima: You know Chinen, especially these days, his eyes get tired and his eyelids tend to be sore. He watches too many online videos and plays too many games (laughs).

Yamada: But his cuteness is still here. Just now, looking at the series page where he made omuraisu, he tried so hard to talk to me and said, "I did a great job on this!" and it was cute! (laughs).

Nakajima: He had sparkling eyes (laughs). But I feel like we've all changed on the outside, but not so much on the inside. I think I'm the only one who's changed, right?

Yamada: I agree. In the old days, Yuto was moody and sensitive, right?

Chinen: You also took jokes to heart. You used to get angry a lot, didn't you?

Nakajima: I can take them from right to left now, though (laughs).

Yamada: You've become mellow.

Nakajima: Especially after I was over 20. On Chinen's 20th birthday, Yama and I had a serious discussion about it. We shook each other's hands and resolved our differences, which is something I'll never forget. Also, a lot of things didn't go well for me between the age of 23~24. The members of Hey! Say! JUMP helped me at that time too. Whenever I was in trouble, the people around me would tell me "it's OK" or "don't be too hard on yourself" and I was able to mellow out.

Yamada: Yuto has indeed changed since then.

Nakajima: In terms of changes over the past 10 years or so, I feel that the four of us in Hey! Say! 7 have become closer and closer. It's not that we didn't get along in the past, but there was a certain amount of rivalry and a part of annoyance between us. That's all gone now, and I think we have a relationship now where we truly respect each other.

Yamada: Yeah. We don't have to worry about the little things with each other anymore.

Chinen: Ah, one of us has gone overseas (laughs).

Nakajima: Are you talking about Okamoto Keito? He sent me a video of him singing a song from 'Les Misérables' recently.

Chinen: That was just a lonely video of him playing the guitar and singing to an electric fan (laughs).

Yamada: Keito, for better or worse, hasn't wavered in the last ten years. He's still the same in the sense that he's a really good guy and fun to be with, but he's still a bit naive about his work. That's the thing about him, he's not waivered in a bad way. This has to be written down in ST (laughs).

Chinen: That's a serious one (laughs).

Yamada: That's why I think it's great that Keito’s gone abroad to study by himself.

Nakajima: He's doing very well in a situation where no one can help him.

Yamada: I'm really looking forward to seeing how he is when he comes back. But when I saw the video of 'Les Misérables' that he sent recently, I thought, "Hey, hey. Aren't you facing the wrong direction?" That's the only thing I'm worried about now. (Laughs)

Chinen: We've been doing this for about 10 years. What has this ST series been like for you guys? I used to be a lot shyer than I am now. At the beginning, or for a while, I was always nervous. I was fine when I was with other people, but I got nervous when I was performing solo.

Nakajima: Chinen was talking to duct tape on the set of a drama.

Chinen: No, I wasn't talking to it! There was a time when I just stared at the duct tape because I was trying not to make eye contact with anyone and so I wouldn't talk to anyone (laughs), but over time I got to know the staff better, and now the set has become a comfortable place where I can talk about anything.

Nakajima: When I look back on the series, I'm pretty much making things. I make Japanese sweets and snow globes. Earlier the staff said to me, "I'm so glad that Yuto always has fun with all the hard work you do on shoots," and on the contrary, I enjoy experiencing the things I can't normally do. After the series changed to 'Nanairo Seven' where we produced for each other, it was fun to think about what all of us would do that could make us shine and what the readers would want to see us do.

Yamada: I hear that the pages Yuto produce are always buzzing.

Chinen: The staff often say that the pages Yuto produces are always talked about on SNS.

Nakajima: I'm glad to hear that. I enjoy not only making things but also thinking about the idea, the various "making things" that go [into the shoots].

Yamada: I'm sorry to say this, but I really can't remember the first half of the series. But when it became "Nanairo Seven!", the two of them came up with a plan to help me relax, saying that Yamada had been tired lately. And for me, this series became "a place where I could come to relax". It was the place I could come as the real Yamada Ryosuke, not the idol or actor. I've been working with the staff for 10 years now and they're all very capable people. They are always trying to bring out my naturalness, get me to not to overdo myself too much and not to push myself too hard. That's why I would go to the pet shop with my wallet. We were shooting and I was seriously wondering if I should get a dog (laughs). And that's what this series is all about, working but being close to your personal life. I'm sure everyone else thinks like this too, right?

Chinen: That's true.

Nakajima: That's what I think too.

Yamada: Ah, I don't know what Keito thinks about it (laughs).

Chinen: At any rate, he won't be able to graduate. He is short of credits due to his absences. Only Keito will have to repeat a year at ST (laughs).

Hey! Say! 7 - Seventeen January 2021 (English Translation)

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